KLAS-TV Las Vegas: Las Vegas Host International UAS Day

Las Vegas was a key participant in the International Drone Day Saturday. About a hundred people came out to the desert near Boulder City to operate and view drones flying across the skies.

“Worldwide I think we’re going to have a couple thousand drones in the air,” said David Oneal, who helped organize the event. “It’s probably the most hobby drones and semi-commercial drones in the air, on the planet, at one time today.”

The drone market is already estimated as a billion dollar industry and growing. Las Vegas is one of five drone testing sites in the United States, which made it one of the main stages for International Drone Day.

The event was held to show growing drone capabilities and the different ways in which operators use them. Jim Bowers is using his drones for search and rescue missions. He started SWARM (Search With Aerial RC Multirotor), a group that encourages drone pilots to help find missing pets and people.

“We are almost always involved in a search somewhere in the world,” said Bowers. “We have 3,200 drone pilots in 58 countries around the world.”

Mike Peters came to the event from Arizona. He says drones have unique uses when it comes to photography.

“It’s more about being an enabling tool for the photographer,” said Peters. “This gives you a perspective unlike any other type of vehicle available.”

Next year, International Drone Day will be moved to May 7, due to the snowy weather in places like Canada and Scandinavia.